Russia: X5 opens first distribution centre in Karelia
Russia's X5 Retail Group has opened its first distribution centre in the Republic of Karelia. The 17,500 square-metre Petrozavodsk logistics facility will serve 152 Pyaterochka stores located in 62 towns and cities of Karelia and the Murmansk region. The facility has three separate zones with specific temperature band in each zone to store goods of various categories including fruit, vegetables, perishable products, and groceries. It is also equipped with advanced facilities to ensure that goods remain fresh, and are available to meet the supply needs of the retailer.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Poland: Carrefour growing presence for proximity formats
Carrefour Poland has announced it will not add any more hypermarkets unless "an extremely attractive opportunity” occurs. Instead the retailer has said it will focus on developing its ecommerce offer and expanding the presence for its small store formats. According to Marek Lipka, Carrefour Poland’s director of supermarkets, proximity formats will be its future growth formats. The retailer, therefore, hopes to open two supermarkets and 100 convenience stores by the end of 2018. The plans reflect key elements of Carrefour’s corporate 2022 transformation plan.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Portugal: Sonae SGPS to launch IPO of food retail business
Portuguese conglomerate Sonae SGPS has announced that it plans to launch an IPO of its food retail business, Sonae MC. The common shares will be listed on Euronext Lisbon and trading is expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2018, subject to necessary approvals and favourable market conditions. Potential investors will be offered a minority stake of 25%, while Sonae SGPS will remain as the reference shareholder.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Supermarket chain Spar coming to Serbia
Spar, one of the biggest supermarket chains in Europe, is planning to come to Serbia - Bostjann Brantusa, Spar’s expansion and development manager, has confirmed for B92.net. “Yes, Spar has plans for Serbia,” Brantusa told B92.net on the margins of the CEE Property Forum in Vienna. According to him, after the stabilization of the market in Croatia, where they are now working intensively, the multinational retailer will move to the Serbian market. Brantusa said that for the moment, the company has no time-frame for this - but emphasized that its representatives, including himself, “go to Belgrade and Serbia from time to time to get acquainted with the market.”
Source: serbianmonitor.com
Holland: First checkout-free Albert Heijn stores open in Amsterdam
Following a successful pilot, Albert Heijn has opened its first two checkout-free stores in the Amsterdam Medical Centre. Another store is due to launch at Amsterdam’s central station. The technology will now be rolled out to all 80 Albert Heijn to go convenience stores. Customers pay at the shelf using a dedicated ‘tap to go’ card or by using an app on their Android phone. Future developments will include iOs and Windows functionality. After ten minutes, the purchase price of items is automatically deducted from the customer's account.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Eurospin could open 20 stores in Croatia
Italian discounter Eurospin is planning to expand to Croatia, where it is likely to open 20 stores, taking up around 3% of the market share, reports Poslovni Dnevnik. Job announcements have already been made and training is expected to take place in Italy and Slovenia - the two countries that currently boast Eurospin outlets. The Italian chain operates around 1,100 stores with 7,000 employees.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Carrefour Oman launches digital rewards programme
Carrefour Oman, operated by Majid al Futtaim Retail, has launched a new digital rewards programme called ‘MyCLUB’. MyCLUB is a free, cloud-based programme which can be accessed from the Carrefour Oman app. The MyCLUB programme serves as a digital loyalty card with which registered users can collect points from their purchases at Carrefour. Families can also use MyCLUB to collectively earn points through one account. For every 500 points earned, a digital voucher can be redeemed instore for the value of RO5 (approximately £10).
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Two new Eurospar supermarkets open in northern Italy
Despar Northeast, a partner of Spar Italy has announced the opening of two new stores in the cities of Modena and Caerano di San Marco. The new Eurospar supermarkets have implemented sustainable technologies and are rated energy class A3. The green energy certified outlets are fitted with solar panels. Heat from the refrigerated counters is used partly for the production of hot water, and for the air conditioning system. Furthermore, the lighting systems use 100% LED technology, and the CO2-based food cooling systems are highly energy-efficient. The retailer has also installed real-time monitoring of back-end technical systems to address issues in energy consumption and disruptions, that can affect the cooling-system.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Spain: 1,000 Supercor Stop&Go stores to open in three years
El Corte Inglés-owned Supercor Stop&Go is a convenience banner exclusive to Repsol petrol stations, of which there are around 3,400 in Spain. The first Supercor Stop&Go store was opened in 2013 and there are currently more than 100. The plan to add 1,000 new stores in the next three years was agreed upon in 2017. The stores will be added to both Repsol’s own and franchised locations. The El Corte Inglés card can also be used at Repsol service stations, in addition to the retailer’s other stores.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
US: United Natural Foods tabs COO as Supervalu CEO
United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) has named Chief Operating Officer Sean Griffin as incoming chief executive officer of Supervalu Inc., which the company is acquiring under a $2.9bln deal announced in late July. UNFI introduced Griffin as the designated CEO of Supervalu in reporting its fiscal 2018 results. Most recently, Griffin has been serving as head of integration for the Supervalu transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar 2018 pending shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Amazon expands grocery delivery, pick-up services in the US
E-commerce giant Amazon has announced that Prime members in 10 more US cities can now avail grocery delivery services from Whole Foods Market. These include Ann Arbor, Detroit, Jacksonville, Madison, Milwaukee, Omaha, Orlando, St. Louis, Tampa, and Tulsa. The service has also been extended to more areas in New York City and Seattle. As of now, a total of 48 cities in the US can now avail of the service.
Source: esmmagazine.com
CAN: Instacart to turn Toronto office into tech hub
Instacart says it will transform its Toronto office into a tech hub and expand it by 200 employees over the next several years. The California-based company says the Canadian location will be the second one to focus on research and development, with the first in San Francisco. The online grocery app company already has more than 80 employees at its current Toronto office.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Walmart celebrates milestones in grocery ecommerce capabilities
Walmart officially has hit the halfway point of its goal to bring grocery delivery to 100 metropolitan areas covering four in 10 U.S. households, and is now receiving orders at its 2,000th pickup spot. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based mega-retailer said it launched delivery to its 50th metropolitan area earlier this month in Akron, Ohio, and is planning more along the way. "When it comes to grocery delivery, we’ve got our foot on the gas," the retailer said. "Combined with third-party crowd-sourced delivery providers, we are well on our way to bringing grocery delivery to 100 metro areas covering 40% of U.S. households."
Source: progressivegrocer.com